Riz Ahmed is in talks to join Tom Hardy in the upcoming Venom movie

Riz Ahmed (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) is in talks to join Tom Hardy in the upcoming Venom movie, according to Variety. Though Sony has yet to comment on who he’ll be playing, sources are saying it will be a popular Marvel character.

In case you’re thinking that Riz Ahmed might be Carnage, there are a couple things out there that might make you rethink that. The author of the story, Justin Kroll tweeted that those sources say it’s not Carnage. He points out that this doesn’t mean that Carnage isn’t in the film. Borys Kit from THR tweeted that sources said he was up for the role before script changes. That could certainly indicate that Carnage is indeed in the film.

Writers Scott Rosenberg (Pain & Gain, Jumanji) & Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) will pen the script for the Venom film, which is set for an October 5, 2018 release date. Production will begin this fall. Venom will not be a part of the Spider-Man universe.

First appearing in the comic book series as an alien costume worn by Spider-Man in Marvel‘s “The Amazing Spider-Man” #252 in 1984, it was several years before the creature left Peter Parker and merged with photographer Eddie Brock, forming the antihero known as Venom. Since then, the character has appeared in a variety of different forms and bonded with several different hosts. In the “Ultimate” Marvel Universe, the suit has a more terrestrial origin, created by Parker and Brock’s scientist parents in an attempt to cure cancer. More recently, the Venom symbiote has been moving between hosts, including Mac Gargan (aka The Scorpion) and Peter Parker’s old high school rival, Flash Thompson.

Venom previously appeared on the big screen, played by Topher Grace in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. Since the release of that film in 2007, rumors have persisted about a solo Venom movie, but various iterations of the project have failed to materialize.

Tom Holland’s Spidey can next be seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming, in theaters July 7. Sony Pictures Animation, meanwhile, is delivering a non-MCU animated Spider-Man movie on December 14, 2018, just two months after the new Venom movie release date.

What do you think of Riz Ahmed joining the Venom film? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @SuperHeroHype.